Making Meetings and Offsites Meaningful
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View Membership BenefitsBeverly Flaxington is a practice management consultant. She answers questions from advisors facing human resource issues. To submit yours, email us here.
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Dear Readers,
In the last couple of weeks, I have had numerous requests to facilitate discussions for large and small teams. The importance of these sessions and outcomes cannot be overstated and when working with the “sponsor.” I hear and understand how vital it is to get it right. Many times, the sponsor worries about having the discussion unravel – people focusing too much on what’s wrong and not enough on what can be done differently. Sometimes there are difficult interpersonal dynamics among team members. And then there are the basic concerns of logistics and money, and not having clear and high-impact results.
As I planned these sessions, it was prudent to share some best practices with my readers. You may want to have a small, “around the table” meeting as I did in Charlotte last week or a large 100+ team member meeting as I will do later in June. The best practices apply no matter the size or the focus.
1. Have a clear outline and process to use. One thing I have learned in doing this work is that process, even very high level, brings about objectivity. People attach to the process, follow it, learn it and this takes away from the concern about the interpersonal considerations. Instead of an outline or even agenda of what you want to do, allow the discussion to build. Start with something positive like having everyone identify outcomes they would like to see for the meeting, and then build from there. The hardest part is keeping people on track, but it is important. If for example, you are talking outcomes and someone starts to bring up an obstacle or frustration, gently guide them back to the topic at hand. It might sound stiff, but allowing people to walk through conversations step-by-step yields better results and keeps people focused where you need them to be.
2. Talk about human dynamics. Again, the tendency can be to focus on what needs to be accomplished, how you will get there and the plan. But often the core of getting there is the human component – there can be lack of trust, unwillingness to seek to understand or assumptions made that may not be accurate. Helping team members raise these issues and talk about them in an objective manner (or as objective as can be, given people generally struggle to be objective) is key to success.
3. Insert breaks and time to be alone. For many people, processing at a meeting or offsite can take time. They may hear new things, be asked to consider something they haven’t before. In some cases, they could be hurt by something someone said or feel badly about a colleague. They could think differently about their role and the company. A lot of thoughts, feelings and reactions swirl around. Give people break time to process. Insert opportunities not just to get a cup of coffee or walk to the facilities but rather time for decompression.
4. Make sure there is engagement beyond talking. If you have the space, allow people to break out into groups. Even at the smaller meeting last week, with only eight people, I had a couple of breakouts for them to talk in a team of four or with a partner. It is a different experience talking in a small group rather than one large group. If people can move seats or be at a different end of the room, they can create greater engagement. Allowing people to meet in another room and then come back to discuss what they have learned helps too. Movement, changing the environment and allowing for smaller pods for discussions keeps engagement strong.
5. Have an outside facilitator. This adds to the cost of your event, but you often get more richness in the discussion if an objective third party is asking the questions or probing for what’s underneath a comment. Spend time with your facilitator in advance to ensure there is a personality and cultural fit for your team. Make sure they truly care about outcomes and will help you navigate discussions, along with planning and execution. It’s the balance of drawing out the people and making sure the team or firm is getting somewhere and it isn’t just great discussions. A teambuilding offsite where you don’t need or want outcomes, and just want the team to work together, requires a different skill set for your facilitator and a different agenda. That brings me to the importance of identifying outcomes….
6. Be clear what success will look like for this engagement, large or small. Always communicate what you are aiming to achieve and why. People need to understand the end goal and measure whether the time together was fruitful. Create the vision for success and then communicate it clearly.
7. This brings me to the end, which is also one of the most important aspects of doing this work. Be sure there is follow through. I can’t stress this one enough. Most of us could add up the dozens of hours we have spent at these meetings with no discernable outcome whatsoever. Talk, talk, talk and plan but no follow up and follow through. Before you disperse, capture specifically what you are going to do, who will do it, when it will be done and how you will keep accountability. Leave as little to chance as possible, so people know it was time well spent and there are outcomes attached to it. If you do this, the next time you say you are having one of these meetings or offsites, people will look forward to it instead of dreading the time away from the real work they need to do.
Beverly Flaxington co-founded The Collaborative, a consulting firm devoted to business building for the financial services industry, in 1995. The firm also founded and manages the Advisors Sales Academy. The firm has won the Wealthbriefing WealthTech award for Best Training Solution for 2022 and 2023. Beverly is currently an adjunct professor at Suffolk University teaching undergraduate and graduate students Entrepreneurship and Leading Teams. She is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA) and Certified Professional Values Analyst (CPVA).
She has spent over 25 years in the investment industry and has been featured in Selling Power Magazine and quoted in hundreds of media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC.com, Investment News and Solutions Magazine for the FPA. She speaks frequently at investment industry conferences and is a speaker for the CFA Institute.
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